Francistown hidden treasures to unlock history, tourism
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Monday February 2, 2026 06:01
When addressing the Francistown City tourism launch recently, Gaolathe shared the city's rich history, from ancient settlements to its role in liberation struggles, and encouraged the development of heritage walks, eco-tourism, and cultural festivals to boost the local economy. Gaolathe noted that Francistown, though often overlooked, has been a place of human activity for many years.
He said that the city was a key site in Southern Africa's first gold rush and it played a significant role in the region's liberation struggles. 'Francistown is a city shaped by gold and labour. It is also a city of conscience,' he said, He highlighted its role as a sanctuary for freedom fighters. It carries the echoes of early civilisation, for Kalanga settlement, for trade and movement, for culture and community, long before history was written,' he added. Gaolathe indicated that in the 1820s, the Ndebele people passed through this region, as many others had before them, leaving behind layers of interaction and influence that still shape the area today. “In 1867, when gold was discovered along the Tati River, history shifted – not just for Botswana, but for the entire continent,” he continued. He described Francistown as the first gold rush in Southern Africa, before Johannesburg and Witwatersrand. Additionally, he said that before modern mining cities were even imagined, prospectors came from Australia, America, Europe and across Africa, drawn by the promise of opportunity. From that moment, he said that Francistown became a gateway town, a meeting place of worlds – African, global, traditional and modern. “When the gold eventually waned, Francistown did not disappear. It adjusted. It adapted, and once again, it found a way to reinvent itself,” he said. According to the vice president, for decades after that, the city became the beating heart of the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association, WENELA.
He shared that from across Southern Africa, young men passed through Francistown on their way to the mines of the south, carrying hope, responsibility, and the weight of families left behind. Gaolathe further said that from the Blue Town’s iconic home, the White House, liberation leaders found refuge, strategy and solidarity. Here walked Sam Nujoma, who would later become Namibia’s founding president, and stood Hage Geingob, then a freedom fighter and later President of the Republic of Namibia and also Peter Katjavivi, who would go on to serve as speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia, he added. He also said that through the second city passed comrades from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique. Speaking about the historic Nyangabgwe Hill , he described it as a silent witness, a place of hiding, resistance and resilience. “A hill that reminds us that freedom is never free. Francistown paid a price. Homes were bombed. Lives were lost. And yet compassion did not waver. This City chose humanity over fear,” he continued. He said that Francistown is an open-air museum waiting to be curated. For instance, he illustrated that from the Haskins Street Botswana’s first strip of tarred road, to St Patrick’s Church, whose bell has rung since 1909, and at the Supa Ngwao Museum, where Kalanga heritage and identity continue to be preserved. He also said that the open-air museum is seen in abandoned mining cottages near Nyangabgwe Hill, the colonial structures like the Hexagonal House where Jubilee Hospital now stands, and in liberation-era sites now at risk of disappearing into dust. Gaolathe indicated that these are not just ruins but assets and pieces of their heritage.
He described the sites as tourism gold, just like around the world, where cities have learnt how to turn memory into opportunity. Gaolathe expressed hope that Francistown can follow examples like Vilakazi Street in South Africa, where heritage tourism has thrived. 'If Vilakazi Street can tell South Africa's story, then Blue Town, Monarch, Somerset and Nyangabgwe can tell their stories clearly and in their own voice,' he said. Gaolathe stated that Francistown is a city where their heritage meets the present and the future of the country and is also, a city where the National Business Conference beckons biennially, with delegates coming to shape the business landscape of the country. He said that the Tati and Ntshe rivers flow through the city like arteries of renewal. He highlighted that Tachila Nature Reserve protects biodiversity while offering space for learning, leisure and conservation, and, just beyond the city, lie the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, the Tuli Block, Domboshaba Ruins, and the gateway to Zimbabwe and the wider North-East cultural landscape.
He stated that Francistown offers heritage walks and liberation trails, cultural festivals, birding and eco-tourism, a vibrant nightlife, dam tourism and a rich mix of food, music, art and storytelling. Gaolathe encouraged the private sector to invest in tourism infrastructure and experiences, saying this could create jobs and build pride in local heritage. 'City tourism is an economic strategy that creates jobs, opens markets, and builds pride in their heritage, ecology, flora, and fauna,' he stated. 'This is an opportunity for the youth, a platform for artists, markets for small businesses, and pride for communities.'